Sun Comes Out
by OctoberIsForever
Summary: Tara Reilly is your average, every-day girl. So when her mom sends her to a summer camp, everything is going to change. She just might fall in love, go on an insane quest, and quite possibly save the world.
1. Just About Everything

_**Chapter 1: Just About Everything**_

I'm Tara Reilly. I'm fifteen years old, and I've lived in Los Angeles since I was born. I'm sort of tall, 5'6. I have curly, almost waist-length, dark blond hair that refuses to be smoothed, straightened, or even tied.

My eyes are (according to me) my only nice feature. They're big, almond shaped, and are a strange blue-gold color. I have an athletic look to me, which, (don't get me wrong, I like,) is weird since I've failed miserably at every sport I've ever tried.

For me, I look normal. You know, just the kind of person you'd see walking on the streets nonchalantly.

I always wear hoodies, shirts, shorts and jeans. I really** _hate_**dresses, skirts, make-up, and high heels. Those things are torture devices! I can't even walk in them for five minutes, let alone an hour! As you probably can already tell, I'm not your typical skirt-wearing, shoe-shopping girly-girl.

I'm extremely outspoken, cynical, and sarcastic. Sarcasm is my second language. You'll see later. I have dyslexia and ADHD. Due to these, um, '_conditons'_, I don't exactly get the best grades. The only thing I'm really good at is music. I love it, because I grew up around it.

My mom owns this music shop just below our apartment, called Sonic Boom. Because of that, I can play almost any instrument. Piano, drums, bass, and even the harp. But most of the time, I play the guitar.

It's my favorite instrument, because I love the sound it makes. I've had my guitar for a long time now, around three years. My guitar is light wood, with barely any designs, but thats fine by me. It was a was birthday present from my mom, years ago.

I want to tell you more about my mom now, before we continue.

My mother's name is Daria Reilly. She has straight, shoulder-length, mahogany hair and green eyes. She's beautiful, and she's the most wonderful, amazing person I have ever, and will ever, meet.

She's a nature lover, like me, and she's always so...freakishly happy. I love her, but honestly, I find it creepy for a person to be all happy and cheerful all the time. She loves music, because, like me, she grew up around it.

Before my mom owned Sonic Boom, it was her parent's store. That's actually how she met my dad.

One day, while my mom was working the register, just like I do now, he walked in and bought a CD by my mom's favorite band. They just started talking and really hit it off. They stayed together for a month, maybe, then he found out my mom was pregnant with me. When he did, he just left. She was only sixteen at the time, one year older than me.

But still, whenever she talks about my dad, wait, no, _him, _(I refuse to acknowledge the fact that he fathered me) her eyes twinkle and she looks up at the sky dreamily. She says that the sun reminds her of him.

He had blond hair, just like me, she would say. His eyes were blue, just like the sky, she would say. He was handsome, funny, and smart, she she would say.

I can tell that after all these years, she still loves him unconditionally and irrevocably. And even though I can see the happiness in her eyes when she talks about him, I can't miss the sadness and hurt, either. It's like he just left her, that she keeps on feeling the fresh pain everyday.

Whoever he was, I can't help but feel resentment towards him. For getting my mom pregnant, not having the guts to marry her, leaving her to raise me alone.

He left her, _**knowing**_ she was pregnant. He left her, _**knowing **_she would have to raise me by herself. I know she doesn't really blame him, but _I_ sure do.

I never really had a dad, so my mom made sure to be both parents at the same time. I feel bad for her, not having anyone to help her raise me. I wasn't exactly an easy kid to raise. I was always trouble, everywhere I went.

I always got kicked out of my schools, and I'm sure that my mother couldn't have been pleased by that. But she's such a kind and loving person, she couldn't get mad at me. But every time I got kicked out of a new school, I could see disappointment in her eyes.

It's not like I _wanted _to get kicked out. It's just... for me, trouble is inevitable, okay? I don't go looking for it. _It _finds _me._

Right now, it's summer, so I don't have to worry about school, homework, and all that chiz. I have a job working the register at Sonic Boom, and besides that, I don't do anything.

Sounds like I'm going to have a normal summer, right?

Dead wrong.

* * *

Thanks to everyone reading my story. Sorry it's kind of short, I'll make the next chapter longer.

Now... review and you get a cookie! Flame and I'll slap you with said cookie. :D Run along, children!


	2. Birthday Blues

_**Chapter 2: Birthday Blues**_

It all started on the morning of my fifteenth birthday. I was lying face down on my bed, with my head buried in the pillows. I rolled over, feeling warm sunlight shining on me. I sat up on my bed and stretched, as I sighed happily. What a perfect way to wake up. It was summer, so I didn't have to bother about waking up early.

Huh. That's weird, I'm usually so cynical in the morning. I checked the calendar on my bed-side table. My eyes widened as I saw the date. June 18, my birthday.

Shit.

I groaned as I realized my mother was probably going to make a fuss over my birthday. My mood immediately soured.

I didn't like birthdays. I didn't like people making a fuss over me since I was usually looking out for myself and my mom, too. I cook, do the laundry, buy the groceries, things like that. My mom may be thirty one, but emotionally, she's really still sixteen. So, you can see why my birthday wouldn't be on my top five list of best holidays.

Groggily, I got off my bed and headed to the bathroom. I opened the door, and as I stepped inside, I saw my reflection in the mirror.

Groaning, I took in the sight of myself. My curly, untamable hair had become even more untamable from my twisting and turning the whole night. My blue-gold eyes were blood-shot, and still half closed. Raking my hand through my curls, I stripped off my clothes and took a shower. As I was taking a shower, I wondered what was going to happen to today.

Was my mom throwing me some party I wouldn't want? That wouldn't be unlike her, the social butterfly that she is. She thinks everyone loves parties. Ugh. I hated parties, as they only made me feel uncomfortable, rather than happy and excited. I scoffed, as if I had ever been happy and excited on my birthday.

I flashed back to my last birthday party, the one when I was thirteen.

My mom had gone all out with the decorations. This was at our apartment, and my mom had made it look like Wonderland. Leave it to my mother to make me an extravagant party when what I really wanted was to sleep. She had woken me up early, at seven am, just to get ready for the party. She tried to get me to wear a dress, and even some make-up! For the second time that day, I scoffed. Everything had gone wrong when the cake was brought out. Everything was fine until then, but when the cake appeared, it blew up. Yeah, I know, weird. Suddenly, the water from the shower turned scalding, and I was snapped out of my reverie.

I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself. I searched for clothes, and put on the first things I could find. A dark green shirt and my old, comfortable, black shorts. I stuffed my feet into my Vans and tried to comb my frizzy curls. Keyword being 'tried'. I sighed and prepared myself for the day.

I sat on my bed for a while with my eyes closed, praying nothing embarassing would happen. The door slammed and my eyes shot open, as my mother barged in. "Happy Birthday, honey!" she yelled, carrying a cake with a candle in it.

"Make a wish!" I sighed, closing my eyes and wishing that today would finally be a good birthday. I opened my eyes and blew the candle out, bracing myself for whatever my mother had planned. "Oh, honey, you're fifteen! My baby's all grown up!" There were actual tears in her eyes as she said this. Suprisingly, I felt tears in my eyes too, and I tried to blink them away. I really _was_ growing up. I'm not usually this sappy, but I guess that's what growing old does to you.

"Aww, mom, I'm not _that_ old yet." I said, as I gave her a quick hug.

"Oh, honey, you should get packing!"

Huh? "Packing for what, mom?"

"Well, this summer, I thought you might like to go to a summer camp." My mom said, with a hint of doubt in her tone.

"What? WHY?" I asked, half angry, half confused.

"Well, it's an important camp, honey. Your dad wanted you to go to it."

That made my blood freeze. My dad? The man who fathered me, who never gave a damn about me, as far as I knew? The one who left my mother all alone to take care of me? Why would he want me to go to a summer camp, if I never knew him? My silence made my mom worry.

"Honey, are you all right?" No, no I wasn't. But for my mom's sake, I had to pretend to be.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. But, why would you want me to go to this summer camp?" I avoided mentioning my dad. I don't really like talking about him.

"Well, I think it would be fun for you." Really? Wow, that's all this was about? _Fun?_ I don't think so.

"Mom... is that really the reason?" I said, but I saw my mom's expression, then suddenly I didn't want to know.

"Please, honey. For me." Her eyes were pleading with me to say yes. So I did exactly that.

_**- A few hours later - **_

I was in the car with my mom, driving to Long Island to some summer camp.

My mom _still_ wouldn't tell me why she wanted me to go to this camp. Hell, she wouldn't even tell me the name of the camp I would be spending my summer at! I knew I had every right to get mad at my mom, but I couldn't. My mom tends to have that effect on me.

I sighed, wondering how this summer would be like. "We're here!" My mom sing-songed. I composed myself, and hopped out the door.

The place was beautiful. I could see the strawberry fields from here, and for some reason they glittered.

The cabins (that was what they were, right?) each looked different, but they were all beautiful in different ways. The one that caught my eye was gold, and it looked like it was made of pure sunshine.

There was this big house that was painted pastel colors, and looked very inviting.

The entrace was made of some type of arch made of wood, and it said 'Camp Half-blood'. What was that supposed to mean? I wondered as I raised an eyebrow.

"Aww, bye honey! I'm going to miss you!" My mom's hug interrupted my thoughts. And my breathing.

"Woah, mom! Can't breathe!" I managed to say. My mom gave me one long look and a wave, and jumped in the car. There was something very final about that look she gave me that I didn't like.

I stepped inside the boundary and what I saw amazed me. There were a bunch of guys, standing around without pants and shoes. That was, actually, because they didn't have legs or feet. They had hooves.

They were, as I recalled from Mythology class, satyrs. I nearly fainted on the spot, when a friendly looking satyr catched me.

"Woah! Easy there. I'm Grover." He gave me a crooked grin that made me feel I could trust him. But, HE WAS A SATYR! Am I going crazy?

"You're a... you're... your feet... are..." I just couldn't finish my sentence.

"Oh," His face fell. "I guess you don't have a protector, and you haven't met any monsters. Yes, I am a satyr. And yes, I did say monsters."

How. Is. This. Possible?

"Do you know who your mom is?" I nodded. Where could he be going with this?

"Do you know who your _dad_ is?" I paled and shook my head fiercely. How could he know that?

"Ah. I see. Do you know about the gods?" He asked. Why did he change the subject, just like that? I decided to answer anyway.

"God?" I wondered. He chuckled and said,

"No, not God. I meant gods, like _**greek**_ gods." Ohhh.

"Well, yeah. I have mythology." I didn't understand why I was still talking to him, since he was probably crazy, but something told me he wasn't.

"Here's the thing, errr..." He said, waiting for me to say my name.

"Tara. Tara Reilly."

"Okay, here's the thing, Tara, those gods are real. The twelve Olympians." Now I definitely knew he was crazy.

"Uh, Grover, I think you're crazy."

He chuckled and told me, "No, Tara, I'm not. Do you see my hooves? I'm a satyr. You thought satyrs weren't real either, right? And the part about gods existing isn't the weirdest part."

"What's the weirdest part, then?" I asked, challenging him to say anything weirder.

"Your dad is a greek god." Now, _**that **_I was not expecting.

"So you're telling me, that my father, whom I have never met, is a greek god? Like Poseidon? Zeus? Hades?" I asked, as lightning rumbled.

"Woah, don't say their names out loud. Names have power. But yes. Probably not one of the Big Three. The ones you just mentioned." He said, scratching his goatee.

This is really getting weird. Names have power? Hah. I scoffed, for the third time. I guess I'll be doing that a lot today.

"So, you have any ideas who my dad is?" I asked Grover. Was I actually believing this? Yes, yes I was, my sub-conscious answered. I had no doubt about it, which probably made me wonder if I was crazy.

"Well, he could be one of the twelve Olympians, or he could be a minor god. He might claim you later tonight, at the bonfire."

Bonfire? "A bonfire?" I asked, very curious. Well, that makes sense. What good is a camp without a bonfire?

"Yeah. The Apollo Cabin usually leads us in singing, while we eat 'smores. Sounds good, don't it?"

It _did_ sound good. I loved 'smores, and more importantly, there was singing! Yes! I pumped my fist inwardly.

As Grover took me on a tour, I learned a lot about the cabins. The one that previously caught my eye was the Apollo Cabin.

"We should go see Chiron at the Big House."

I snickered. That really was what they called it! I thought, snickering because that was how I thought of it earlier. We stopped at the Big House porch, with Grover giving me a weird look.

"This," he said with a dramatic air, "is the Big House."

It was as nice as I saw from afar, big and pastel. It was a nice house, but what attracted my attention was a pudgy man in a hawaiian shirt and a man on a horse. What was a man on a horse doing on the porch? Oh, I realized, it wasn't a man on the porch. It was a centaur.

And **_that_**is when I fainted. I couldn't take it anymore, okay? Satyrs, centaurs, friggin' greek gods, what was I supposed to do? Skip around and sing show tunes? It's only natural to faint when you find out greek mythology is real.

* * *

See, *gestures to the fanfic* it's longer! Okay, I forgot the disclaimer last time but here it is:

Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan. Therefore, I don't own PJO. I own Tara, though. :D

So, review, my dear kidlets! Or be devoured by demon bunnies! Mwa ha ha ha! Okay, bye now.


	3. Something About Truth?

_**Chapter 3: The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth**_

When I woke up, I was staring at some teenage guy sitting in a chair beside the bed I was in. He had black hair, sea green eyes, and he was tall and athletic. He looked around sixteen.

And he was sleeping too, with his mouth wide open, and he was snoring.

I laughed, loudly, I might add, and he woke up.

"Oh, hey, you're awake." He said, with a smile.

"And so are you." I said, with a not-so-disguised chuckle. To my suprise, instead of getting angry with my comment, he chuckled too.

"I guess I am. I'm Percy Jackson. How are you feeling? Don't worry, it's completely normal to faint when you see Chiron. I mean, it's pretty freaky seeing a centaur for the first time." He was talking so fast, I could barely understand what he was saying.

"Hi. That's his name? The centaur guy, I mean." Chiron... where have I heard that before?

"Yep. Chiron. You know, the one who taught Achilles?"

Ah. That's why his name sounded so familiar. "Percy, are all these greek stuff real? Like satyrs, and gods, and centaurs? Seriously?" I asked, still not able to grasp the fact that I had seen a real centaur.

"Yeah. Seriously. I know it's hard to believe at first, but you'll get used to the idea. By the way, how old are you?"

This camp was freaky. A place where all those greek myths are true? I couldn't be real. Or.. could it? Could my dad really be a god?

"Hmmm? Oh," My pondering was interrupted to answer Percy's question. "It's my fifteenth birthday."

"Fifteen?" For the first time during our whole conversation, he looked alarmed. "They were supposed to claim you when you were thirteen! Oh gods, this isn't good... They've started forgetting about the pact? Gods, no..." and he continued rambling like that until I interrupted asking him,

"Percy? Are you sure I didn't hit my head?" I asked, _still _unable to accept the fact all this was real.

"Yeah. You'll get used to it, I promise." He said, with an amused smile. Then he continued his rambling, and I tuned him out. About five minutes had passed when he jumped up and said,

"The bonfire is going to start in ten minutes! You need to change!" He said, throwing a t-shirt at me. My Vans were on the floor and I was still wearing my black shorts, so they'd have to do. My shirt, however, was damaged. It had grass stains all over. Ah, I have a lot of shirts anyway. I wasn't one to mourn the loss of clothing.

I looked more carefully at the t-shirt that Percy had thrown at me. It was orange, and it said 'Camp Half-Blood'. Before going in the bathroom to change, I yelled at Percy,

"Percy! What does Camp Half-Blood mean?"

He looked up and replied, "Half god, half mortal." I was completely speechless at that answer, so I just went in to the bathroom and shut the door behind me.

I quickly pulled off my t-shirt and replaced it with the Camp Half-Blood one. When I stepped outside, I examined my surroundings more closely. There were many beds, seperated by curtains, like in a hospital, between people looking like they badly needed medical attention. One guy looked like he had... was that an arrow in his arm? Woah. There were people and satyrs going from patient to patient attending to their needs. This was like some sort of... clinic, I guess.

I walked towards Percy, shoving him off the chair and interrupting his ramblings.

"Ouch! Gods, what is wrong with you?" He asked, as he got up, dusting himself off.

"You were busy muttering. That was the only way I would get your attention!" I said, holding my hands up in a defensive gesture as he pulled my out the door and towards a clearing with log chairs and fire wood.

"That's true, I guess." He said, mostly to himself.

As we were walking I asked him what the camp was for.

"It's the only safe place for us. Us demi-gods, I mean. That's what we're called. It's also a training ground. We have archery, sword fighting, hand-to-hand combat, lava rock climbing, and all that stuff."

Woah. So it was an arrow sticking out of his arm. And... lava rock climbing? This place is getting weirder by the second.

"So does that mean I get a weapon?" I asked excitedly. A weapon! Arrows, maybe? Or a sword? Ooohh... a dagger? See, this is my kind of shoe-shopping. Ask me to go shoe-shopping with you? No way. Ask me to go weapon-shopping? Hell friggin' _**yes. **_

"Yeah, probably." He said, laughing at my excitement. I was practically bouncing up and down for a weapon.

It was then I realized I hadn't introduced myself. "Oh, Percy? My name's Tara Reilly."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I know. Grover told me." Huh. Grover the satyr. It's catchy.

Percy pulled me down on one of the log chairs beside a girl with curly blond hair that wasn't nearly as untamable as mine, and stormy grey eyes.

"Tara, this is my girlfriend, Annabeth Chase. Annabeth, this is Tara. She's fifteen and unclaimed." Annabeth gasped, though I didn't understand why.

"She's _**fifteen**_? And _**UNCLAIMED**_?" She shouted, as the bonfire started, loud enough for the whole row were sitting at to hear.

"That's what I just said." Percy grumbled, sounding half annoyed and half worried.

"Let's talk about this later, Percy." Annabeth said, giving him a look.

As soon as the first song started, there was a gold light shining. Everyone gasped, and I didn't understand why. The song had stopped, and that thoroughly annoyed me. All eyes were on me, though I didn't have the vaguest idea why.

"What's going on?" I snapped at Percy.

"You've been claimed." He said, pointing above my head. Obviously he was grateful he didn't have to talk about me being unclaimed with Annabeth.

Yeah, she scares me too.

Then I looked up, and saw where the gold light was coming from. There was a golden sun above my head. So, apparently, that means Apollo, the sun god, was my father. Well whoop-dee-do.

And suddenly Chiron appeared, and said, "All hail, Tara Reilly, daughter of Apollo."

After that, everyone went back to their seats like that claiming thing happens everyday, and continued with the bonfire. It was fun, and I sang along to almost every song.

I noticed Percy with his arm around Annabeth, and I almost puked at their sweetness. Ick.

Later, Will Solace, my cabin leader, showed me to the Apollo Cabin, otherwise known as Cabin 7.

Inside, it was full of sunlight and music. I loved the music the most. It was whatever you wanted to hear, with people dancing fast and slow.

The floor was made of wooden boards the color of gold. It looked like the walls were painted dull brown, but when the sunlight, which was let in by the giant windows, hit the walls, they glittered so bright that they looked like the sun itself.

There were beds all around the cabin, since apparently there were a lot of children of Apollo. The windows were huge, and they didn't even have to be open to let the sunlight in. There were no curtains at all, which sort of confused me. What if the sunlight was too bright?

Then I mentally slapped myself and rolled my eyes. God of the sun. Duh.

My cabin mates stared at me, obviously aware to the fact that I had just mentally slapped myself. A voice then interrupted my embarrassment.

"Uh, you okay Tara?" Will asked, concerned, and at the same time, weirded out by me.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just dandy, considering I just found out that my father who bailed on me and my mom is actually an immortal greek god." I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Obviously, I _**wasn't**_ okay.

But as soon as I got that out of my system, I felt kind of bad for snapping at him. Will was a pretty nice guy, he was just trying to see if I was okay. Besides, he was my brother. Well, half-brother, but, same difference. His dad abandoned him too. _**Our**_ dad. What was going on with me? Was I being... nice? And... sympathizing? God, no! Maybe? Ugh.

"Well, yeah. All of us felt like that, one way or another. We can sympathize with you, Tara. We get it. Everyone in this camp gets it, either feeling abandoned by their mother or father. You won't feel that any longer, because now you have us. We're your family." Will said, with so much sincerity that I just had to believe it.

After that little spanish tela-novela was over, he showed me my bed and the small trunk for my clothes and stuff. He showed me where the bathroom was, and told me good night.

I wasn't sleepy at _**all,**_ what with all the excitement of the day, and decided to go to the beach for a while.

When I arrived, I was suprised to see someone had already beat me to it.

* * *

Disclaimer: Nope, still not Rick Riordan.

Oooh cliff hanger! I'll get started on the new chapter right away. Can you guess who the 'someone' is?

Anyways, review! Flame and I shall send my minions to hunt for you... As, you can tell, I don't like flamers. :D Buh-bye now!


	4. That Guy

_**Chapter 4: That Guy **_

_**Edit: Percy is around nineteen, because he's older than Nico by four years, because Nico is fifteen here. And also, let's pretend that The Lost Hero and Son of Neptune never happened yet. Kay, on with the story! **_

I was staring at a boy with black hair, brown eyes, and olive skin. He looked around fifteen. He was tall, and wearing a black t-shirt, black jeans and a black jacket. Emo much? But... he was kind of cute... NO! I will _**not**_ think like that! Ugh. This camp is turning my brain into mush.

He was sitting on the sand, at the edge of the water, drinking Pepsi. His arm was resting on his leg that was propped up, while his other leg lay on the sand. He was looking out at the sea, like he was searching for something. Without thinking, I sat down beside him.

He was startled, to say the least. He jumped up and spit out the Pepsi in his mouth. By the time he sat down again, I was laughing uncontrollably. I didn't know I could get a reaction like that! I should probably startle people more!

"Hmph. Thanks for that." The boy said, looking completely annoyed.

"You're so welcome. Tara Reilly." I said, while giving him my hand to shake.

He begrudgingly took my hand and said, "Nico Di Angelo. What are you doing here? It's... eleven. I think." He said, all while trying to decipher what his watch said in the dark.

"Couldn't sleep. I just found out greek mythology is real, and I'm supposed to be tired? I'm still pumped with adrenaline. And besides, I want a weapon." I said the last thing with such longing that he burst out laughing.

"You're an interesting girl, Tara Reilly. Most girls I know would want their 'beauty sleep' and would be disgusted by weapons and fighting because they don't want to mess up their hair or make-up." He said, when he was finally able to stop laughing.

"Ick. Make-up? Who wouldn't want a weapon? I mean, come _**on**_, weapons are awesome!" I said disgusted by the thought of girly-girls that don't like weapons.

"See? Interesting." Nico said with a sort of amused smile. "Want a Pepsi?" He asked, handing me a can.

"Thanks. Carbonated sugar. The best thing to give a girl with ADHD who can't sleep." I said, dryly, taking the soda anyway.

"Sarcasm. Nice." He said as we settled into comfortable silence.

Nico broke the silence by pulling something out of his belt. It was black, and it was frightening. Yet so, _**so**_ awesome.

"This is my sword. It's made of Stygian iron. Scary, isn't it?" He asked, running his fingers over the blade.

"Yeah. But at the same time, it's so cool! Ugh, when can I get a sword? Or dagger? Or arrows? I want a weapon so bad!" I said, nearly whining.

He laughed again and said, "You sound like a five year old." And he burst of laughing again.

"Yeah. You know how girly-girls love shoe-shopping?" I asked him.

"Yep." He said, stopping his laughter.

"Well, weapon shopping is _**my**_shoe-shopping." Then he burst out laughing again.

I slapped his arm, somewhat annoyed that he kept on laughing at me. I grabbed his arm and looked at his watch.

"Ah! It's already midnight! I need to get back to my cabin." He waved and continued laughing.

And with that I ran off to Cabin 7.

_**-Line Break (I'm too lazy to put the actual line)-**_

When I reached my cabin, the first thing I noticed were the people that were staring at the me through the windows. Oh god, did they see the whole thing?

I stomped into the cabin and yelled, "What the hell were you guys doing?"

"Watching you and Di Angelo flirt." One of my younger siblings, Kayden, blurted. Hector, the second oldest in our cabin next to Will Solace, immediately put his hand on her mouth.

"We were not flirting! We were talking and drinking Pepsi!" I shouted angrily.

"Really? Cause it looked like you were flirting." My fifteen year old sister Kelsi said.

"God, can't I just have a nice conversation with a guy without people saying we were flirting?" I asked.

"You can. It's just that you were flirting." Kelsi retorted.

I stopped for a while. Were we? Hmm... "I don't think we were..." I said hesitantly.

"You so obviously were. Right, guys?" Kelsi said, asking my other siblings.

Everyone nodded and agreed, even the boys.

"Ugh. Does _**he**_ think we were flirting?" I asked, not really sure I wanted to hear the answer.

"No. Probably not." Hector said. "Guys don't really know that they're flirting unless they really think about it after." He continued. "This just means that you sub-consciously like each other."

I threw myself on my bed and groaned into my pillows. This was _**not **_how I expected my first day at camp to be, I thought, as I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Oh, yeah, the harpies. Let's pretend they... floated to a magical land full of demon bunnies for them to keep as pets? Yeah, let's go with that.

Yay! Nico! :D Should I put pictures of Tara's brothers and sisters on my profile? I've got too many pictures there as it is... Ugh. Bye now! Buh-bye! See ya later!

WHY ARE YOU STILL READING THIS? LEAVE! GO! SHOO!


	5. The Art of Annoying

_**Chapter 5: And So We Meet Again**_

_**Reviewer Stuff: **_

_**TallButShort: Thanks so much for the CC. It really means a lot to me. I totally agree with you, I haven't really shown situations where the personality I made for her is showing. I'm trying to improve on that for this chapter. Thanks again!**_

"WAKE UP TARA!" A voice hollered at me as I fell off my bed.

"God dammit! What the hell?" I shouted as I picked myself up off the floor.

"It's nearly time for breakfast." Will said, shrugging innocently. I glowered at him and grabbed a Camp Half-Blood shirt and jean shorts.

I walked to the bathroom door barefoot and went in. Without looking at myself in the mirror, I jumped into one of the unoccupied showers and removed my clothes.

_Well that's backwards, _I thought to myself as I threw my clothes out of the shower and turned on the water.

The hot water immediately made me feel better. I stayed like that for ten minutes, just enjoying the warm feeling of the water. Then I remembered that we had to eat breakfast and I got moving. I washed the shampoo and soap off, the I grabbed one of the towels on the rack.

I quickly changed and ran out of the bathroom to get my Vans. I put them on just in time, as my cabin mates were already leaving. I followed them out of the cabin and towards the dining pavilion. When we arrived, I saw people throwing food into the fire.

What are they doing? Wasting food? GASP! I tugged on the guy in front of me, my older brother Derek, and whispered to him, "Why are they wasting food?"

He burst out laughing. I was thoroughly annoyed. Why does every guy keep on laughing at me? Hmph.

"It's a sacrifice to the gods. The like the smell." He whispered back.

The smell? THE SMELL? They're greek gods and they like the smell of burning food? God, this is a seriously messed up place. I couldn't help myself, so I snickered.

"What's so funny?" Derek asked me.

"They like the _**smell**_!" I said, while trying to keep myself from bursting out laughing.

Derek chuckled and as we reached out table, pulled me down on the bench beside him.

There were girls floating from table to table to give people their food. I saw their dresses that looked like they were made of plants. They each had a wreath of flowers in their hair, and I noticed that their eyes were tinged with green.

"What _are _they?" I asked Derek, pointing to the girls.

"Oh, them? They're tree nymphs." Oh. Tree nymphs. Fantastic.

For breakfast I got a two blueberry muffins and orange juice. As everyone else in my cabin got up to give their sacrifice, I went with them. I gave Apollo a muffin for finally having the guts to claim me. I still hated him though.

As we returned to our table, I hungrily devoured my muffin and drank my orange juice. When I was finished eating, Will came up to me and told me it was time to pick my weapon. All the way to the weapon shed, I was practically bouncing up and down.

He showed me each sword and dagger, but none really seemed to be fit for me. Then I noticed a glint of bronze in the shed, and I dug it out. It was a set of bow and arrows. They were perfect. I looked at Will with a pleading look in my eyes, begging him to let me try it, and he obliged.

Luckily, we were close to the target range. I strung an arrow onto the bow, held my breath, and shot. It was a bulls-eye. GOD, YES! My own weapon!

Will approved, and I slung the bow and arrows happily over my shoulder. I walked away, wandering around. I started to daydream as I walked, not minding where I was going.

As I daydreamed, I felt myself crash into a hard wall. I stepped backwards to see what I had crashed into. Or rather, who.

"Oh, hey. You walked into me." A deep voice said.

"No duh, sherlock." I looked up into the face of the person I just walked into, and just my luck, it was Nico Di Angelo.

"Again? Really?" I said, mostly to myself. He had this stupid, cocky grin on his face.

"I guess so. It's not like I planned this." He said, still with the grin.

"Wipe that grin off your face, will ya?" I asked him. This guy gets on my nerves. Last night he was fine, now he's all... infuriating. Why? Ugh. Boys are weird.

"Why should I?" He said, teasingly.

God, he's so... "GAH!" Really? That's all I can think of? Gah? Again, this camp is turning my brain into mush.

I started to walk away, but my arm was grabbed. My instincts kicked in, and I spun around and kicked my attacker right in the face. Who just happened to be Nico Di Angelo. Oh. Duh! Stupid me.

"Oh, god! Sorry! Kind of. Well, you actually could have called my name you know, instead of physically assaulting me."

"Gods, Tara!"

"That's better." I said, not really that sorry that I kicked him.

"No, it's not. My nose is bleeding! Damn, that hurt. Give me a tissue."

Excuse me! Is he ordering _**me **_to get a tissue? Well, it _**is **_my fault he needs a tissue, but that doesn't matter! He can't order me around!

"No." I answered defiantly.

"What? It's your fault my nose is bleeding!" He said, angrily.

"Hmm... good point. But still no." I said. I kinda like annoying him for a change.

"Gods, you're annoying." He muttered under his breath.

"Yes, yes I am." I said proudly.

He started walking away, holding his nose. He was grumbling under his breath, something about "Damn annoying girls..." and "She kicks really hard..."

As he walked away, I yelled, "Buh-bye now!" I gave him a little wave as I watched his retreating back.

It's really fun to annoy Nico Di Angelo.


	6. I Learn of Percy's Awesomeness

_**Chapter 6: I Learn of Percy's Awesomeness**_

_**Reviewer Stuff:  
PiperMcLean351: You're so kind! Thanks for reviewing! It's really great to know that you like my story. I'll try my best to make the whole story entertaining. **_

In the next few chapters, the quest is going to start. I'll try to finish the quest parts soon, but I'm having something like writer's block. I get a good idea, then as quickly as it comes, I forget it. I'm really sorry if I don't update for a couple of days, I'm trying to find out how to make it interesting. And now, without further ado, I give you _**Chapter 6: I Learn of Percy's Awesomeness. **_

I was still laughing after my previous encounter with Nico. Suddenly, I heard a voice from behind say, "Impressive."

I whirled around, only to find myself facing a girl with a short black hair and piercing blue eyes. She wore a circlet in her dark hair, which looked out of place with her outfit, considering she was wearing a leather jacket, black jeans, and a skull t-shirt.

She had arrows slung over her shoulder, and she held a bow in her hand. She didn't have any make-up on, which was a refreshing change from all the girls in this camp -that I've seen-besides me and Annabeth.

"Oh, uh, thanks." I said, wondering where she came from. She looked intimidating, so I wasn't sure what to say other than thanks.

She grinned, making me feel at ease immediately.

"Thalia Grace. Lieutenant of Artemis." She said, holding out her hand for me to shake.

"Tara Reilly. Daughter of Apollo." I noticed that she grimaced at the sound of my father's name.

"Don't like my dad? Yeah. Me too. He's a pretty sucky father." I said, giving her a small smirk.

She burst out laughing at that.

Once she stopped, she said, "Yeah. He keeps on trying to flirt with the hunters." I shuddered at the thought of my father flirting with teenage girls.

She noticed my discomfort and chuckled. At the same time, Annabeth appeared.

"Thalia!" She shouted, and gave Thalia a bear hug. "You didn't tell me the Hunters of Artemis were coming!"

"They're not, I just came to visit. And I came just in time to witness Tara here deliver a roundhouse kick to Nico's face." She laughed, and Annabeth just looked shooked.

"Hey! I didn't know it was Nico!" I said, defensively. Annabeth quickly recovered from her shock and laughed along with Thalia.

Thalia soon turned serious and told me, "You know, we could use you as a Hunter of Artemis. You just have to swear off boys forever, and you'll become immortal!"

I was shocked. Swear off boys? Become immortal? Wow.

"Uh, I don't think I can. I mean, I probably want to grow up..." I said, wondering if that was really the reason I refused.

Thalia looked disappointed, but she nodded. Annabeth looked sympathetic.

"I refused becoming a hunter because I wanted to stay with Percy." She said, with the same sympathetic look on her face.

"Yeah, and he said no to becoming a god to be with you." Thalia said, with a reminiscent smile.

"Wait, wait, wait. A _**god**_?" I asked, suprised. I thought everyone wanted to be a god.

"Yeah. Seems weird, doesn't it? He would refuse a once in a lifetime chance to become immortal and powerful, and instead he stayed human for little old me." She said, with a somewhat dreamy and somewhat confused expression on her face.

"No, no, I didn't mean it's weird that he refused to be a god for _**you. **_I meant I don't understand how it was even offered to him." How did one get an offer to be an all-powerful, all-mighty god?

"Oh, you'll learn soon enough. Percy saved the world, you know." Thalia said, matter-of-factly.

Woah. Percy was a lot more awesome then he let on. He saved the _**world? **_He turned down the offer of being a _**god?**_ This guy is my hero.

"Tara, me and Annabeth really need to catch up. I'll see you later." Thalia told me, as she dragged Annabeth away.

Thalia seemed like a pretty nice person, but I had no doubt that if you were the enemy she would happily shoot an arrow through your heart. I had a feeling we were going to be great friends.

_**-Time Skip (to night time)- **_

After a long day of archery practice, sword fighting (which I was crappy at, by the way), and even trying the lava rock climbing, I was sweaty, sticky, half scorched, and tired.

By the time I got back to my cabin, it was alredy eight. I already had dinner and I was feeling totally out of it. Usually I would still be hyper and running around doing random stuff, but tonight I was so tired. All I wanted to do was sleep. I entered the door to the Apollo cabin, and my sister Kelsi was sitting on her bed staring at me.

"What? No moonlight strolls with Di Angelo on the beach tonight?" She asked, with an annoying smirk.

"Uh, no? And for the last time Kelsi, I DO NOT LIKE NICO DI ANGELO!"

She continued, completely ignoring my outburst. "Well, since you _**are **_a child of Apollo, it would make more sense if you took daylight strolls instead."

I was tired and exasperated, so I decided to ignore her. I took a quick shower and changed into pajama shorts and a t-shirt. Soon I drifted off to sleep.

And that night was when I had the dream.

* * *

I really like cliff hangers. But hey, don't worry! I'm working on the next chapter. Please read and review! Constructed criticism is more than welcome. _  
_

And just for reading my story, you get a virtual cookie! Here! *hands you a cookie* Adios, mi amigos! *tangos' away*


End file.
